Nikola Jokić had a night to forget as the Denver Nuggets’ nine-game winning streak came to an end after a disappointing 123-100 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers. He was caught off guard by the plan JJ Redick and the Lakers executed but believes Denver might have a bigger issue to solve.

Even though we commonly refer to the post-All-Star portion of the NBA season as the "second half," we're well past the halfway point of the 2024-25 campaign. Most teams have fewer than 30 games left.

Who are the top candidates for Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the Year and other trophies as we hit the stretch run?

The Denver Nuggets gathered around Nikola Jokic near the 3-point line Wednesday and belted out a rather off-key version of "happy birthday" in honor of him turning 30.

Nikola Jokić has long been considered one of the most unique players in NBA history and this season has been solidifying his status as a game-changer.

James needs to play in 21 more games to pass Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (1,560) for No. 2 in that category (James has appeared in 48 of the Lakers’ 52 games so far this season). For the 60,000-minute mark, he’d need at least 1,746 minutes in the Lakers final 30 games to accomplish that feat.

Denver is as good as anybody right now, though. The Thunder are tied for the best record in the league at 44-10. Denver is on pace for about 53 wins, while OKC is going to challenge for 66 or 67 wins at this pace. Most of that separation in the standings happened in the first month and a half of the season.